A magazine tool review has its merits, but sometimes the best opinions come from woodworkers who put these tools to use in their shops. User reviews from the field capture real-world experiences and often reveal the long-term quality of a tool. This is the idea behind FineWoodworking.com’s online Tool Guide, a database of more than 500 products where user reviews are displayed alongside reviews from Fine Woodworking editors and contributors.

Follow along with this quick tutorial to learn how you can post ratings and reviews for the tools you own and use.

Navigating the Tool Guide
To begin searching or browsing your way through our database of tool reviews, go to the Tool Guide using the navigation at the top of the page (see tab highlighted below). Choose a tool category from one of the the drop-down menu (Hand Tools, Power Tools, Machinery, ect.) or from the complete list on the center of the page. Once you navigate to a tool category, scroll down the page to view the full list of products in that category.

 

Users can rate tools, too
To learn more about a specific tool or post a review, click on the item from the category listing page. This will direct you to a page for that product where you can read specifications, an editors review, user reviews, and related content. Pick the User Reviews tab (see picture below) to rate and review a tool and to read the comments from other users.

 

Rate This Tool
To post your own rating and review, click on the “YOU RATE IT” button or the “Rate This Tool!” text (see image above). If you are not already logged in with your free registration, a screen will pop prompting you to log in or create a free account. Once logged in, a new window will open where you can rate the tool and type in your comments. You can preview the text or check the spelling using the buttons at the bottom of the screen. When you’re ready to publish your review, hit the submit button and your comments will show up on our live site with a few minutes.

When your review is posted you can still edit or update the text and rating. Simply follow the steps described above except that this time, when you open the edit window, you will see the text from your previous review. Edit this content and resubmit.